“FLYING HIGH TO REACH OUR DREAMS” PRINCIPAL’S CORNER With March being the month when St Patrick’s Day is celebrated, we often hear about the “Luck of the Irish.” Although we are not all of Irish decent, we are lucky to be a part of Jackson Elementary for many reasons. We had a great turn out for parent-teacher conferences this spring, we continue to have one of the hardest working staffs in the district and we have a dedicated group of parent/grandparent volunteers. Thanks for all that you do to make Jackson the great place that it is. Carla Davidson Jackson Principal OUTSTANDING BUILDING VOLUNTEER NAMED Jackson parent Amy Renner has been named Outstanding Building Volunteer for the 20132014 school year. Amy has one daughter that currently attends Jackson, Jordan. Amy volunteers weekly in multiple classrooms supporting students with academic tasks, as well as assisting with numerous PTA events and covolunteer coordinator. Staff describe Amy as someone who makes connections with every child by making them feel special. We thank Amy for all of her contributions to Jackson Elementary. JUMP ROPE FOR HEART Thursday, March 6, 2014, was our Jump Rope for Heart Day. Students jumped so others can have strong hearts. This was a tremendous way for students/families at Jackson to help others. As always the Jackson families were very supportive of this event and opened up their hearts. This is an awesome way to help with heart disease. Way to go Jets! A tremendous thank you goes out to all the volunteers who helped. Without you, this event would not be possible. A huge thank you to Kaci Maire, who was in charge of getting treats, volunteers and sending for prizes. JACKSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MISSION STATEMENT The mission of the Jackson community is to develop independent thinkers and learners who are respectful and r esponsible citizens as demonstrated by m ultiple data sources. April 2014 http://Jackson.cr.k12.ia.us DATES TO REMEMBER APRIL 2014 1......................................... PTA Meeting 6:00 PM 2....................... Iowa Assessment Window Opens 3............................ Jackson Notes Updated Online 7.......................Enrichment Clubs begin 3:45-4:30 8................................................SCRIP Orders Due 9.............................................Jetliner Articles Due Early Dismissal 1:30 10.......Hy-Vee Healthy Food All- School Assembly Jackson Notes Updated Online SCRIP Delivered 11....................................... Tornado Drill 3:00 PM Jackson Pride Day 14................................Enrichment Club 3:45-4:30 17.......................... Jackson Notes Updated Online 18... PTA Family Fun Event: Breakfast with a Buddy 8:00-8:45 AM Early Dismissal 1:30 21................................Enrichment Club 3:45-4:30 22........... 2nd Grade to Museum of Natural History SCRIP Orders Due 24...............................................Fire Drill 3:00 PM SCRIP Delivered Jackson Notes Updated Online 28................................Enrichment Club 3:45-4:30 30...........................................Early Dismissal 1:30 SCHOOL ARRIVAL TIME Students should not be arriving at school before 8:40 AM. Staff supervision is not provided until this time. Dropping students off prior to 8:40 can contribute to behavior issues and safety concerns. Thank you for your cooperation regarding this issue. LOCK DOWN DRILL A lock down drill was practiced again in March to simulate our response to an animal or person presenting danger to the people in our building. During a lock down drill the office announces via the intercom that everyone needs to lockdown immediately. Students, volunteers, and staff position themselves out of sight of an interior building intruder and stay there until an all clear announcement is given The Cedar Rapids Police Department has encouraged us to hold this drill several times throughout the year. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact Mrs. Davidson ATTENDANCE Just a quick reminder about calling in for a student absence: Please call the Attendance line at 558-2210 and leave a message. FAMILIES LEAVING JACKSON If your family will be moving and not attending Jackson next year, please call the school as soon as possible and inform Ms. Skogman. This information will be important as we plan for next year. PTA NEWS HY-VEE CASH 4 STUDETNS Hy-Vee Cash 4 Students is a program that helps the area schools earn extra cash. All Cedar Rapids and Marion Hy-Vee Food Stores, Hy-Vee Drugstores, and Hy-Vee Gas are participating in this program. For every $200 in Hy-Vee receipts collected, HyVee will donate $1 to Jackson. Please collect and turn in receipts from 5/1/2013 - 4/30/2014. There is a drop off container in Jackson’s workroom, along with the Box Tops and Labels for Education. Photocopies of receipts are accepted. The Hy-Vee receipts collected so far this school year will earn $863 for Jackson’s library and technology. Keep those receipts coming as they really do make a difference. Thanks for your support! ONLINE LUNCH ACCOUNT FEATURE A change in the accounting system will now allow you to access your child’s meal account balance, account history, and make account deposits through the Internet using the website LunchDeposit. com. Your child’s six digit District ID number will allow you to access this feature. If you are unsure of the number, please contact the Jackson Office at 558-2471 or the Food & Nutrition office at 558-2305. At the elementary level, the ID number also appears in the lower left hand corner of low and negative balance letters sent home from the cafeteria. Visa, MasterCard and Discover credit cards are accepted for LunchDeposit payment. There is no fee to access the balance and the account history. Be aware that a bank handling fee of $1.50 per transaction will be assessed when depositing funds. Please note that this fee goes to the bank and the Cedar Rapids Community School District does not profit from this service. To create an account, go to www.lunchdeposit. com. PTA Meeting: Tuesday, April 2nd at 6:00 in the library (free childcare) Roscoe’s Pizza Night: Thursday, April 11th Family Fun Event: Friday, April 26th 5:30-7:30 PTA Reminder The current PTA Board is still seeking replacement board members for the 2014/2015 school year! Please contact us at jacksonjetspta@gmail.com if you are interested in being nominated, or if you would just like more information on what these jobs consist of. Thank you for your consideration! Follow the District on & @crschools Volunteers Make A World Of Difference VOLUNTEER NEWS At Jackson we are so fortunate to have such a strong core of volunteers that help in so many ways around the school and in the classrooms. Special thanks this month go to Kaci Maire for coordinating a wonderful Jump Rope for Heart event. Also our Thursday Folder ladies (Amy Renner, Shelly Davidson, Nicole Papini & Julie McMahan), for taking charge and coordinating the conference lunches for the teachers. Also thanks to the many parents who donated time and materials to both of these events! Please let us know if you are interested in training to be Volunteer Coordinator next year! This position is a great “team” position and we will train you! Amy Bower (abower76@hotmail.com) Amy Renner (ajrdar@q.com) EXTENDED DAY PROGRAM This spring here at Jackson we are continuing our after school learning program called The Extended Day Learning Program (EDP). EDP is offered after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays for 1st through 5th graders who are working on increasing reading strategies and skills. Students qualify based on mid-year reading district assessments. Last term, students qualified on beginning of the year reading assessment scores. EDP gives children additional support in a relaxed, small group atmosphere. EDP supports expected grade level school district student learning expectations. The benefits of EDP include more opportunities to show academic success based on district learning assessments, extra time for students to learn in a familiar site based school setting, and small group instruction from highly qualified Jackson teachers. First through third grade lessons are led by Mrs. Richards, one of our first grade teachers at Jackson. Ms. Trumpold, one of our Jackson third grade teachers works with third through fifth grade students to increase fluency, decoding, and comprehension. Mrs. Walter, Jackson’s instructional coach, works with all students to improve oral and written responses to questions. EDP started in February and runs through the end of May. There is no charge for this program, but students must do their best to attend faithfully for the best learning benefits! Here are some of the things that Jackson Jets say about participating in EDP! “I like EDP because I get to see friends; it is a quiet time where I can learn new things about reading!” 4th grader participating in EDP “The activities at EDP are fun! I set goals and try to reach them!” 5th grader participating in EDP “I love reading with my friends and teachers at EDP.” 2nd grader participating in EDP CLASS LISTS FOR NEXT YEAR Several factors are taken into consideration when assigning students to classrooms for the upcoming year: academic achievement level, gender, and social skill development are a few of the variables that are considered. Every effort is made to form heterogeneous groups that will enable students to experience optimal success with academic, as well as social pursuits. Since academic and social growth is our main concerns, keeping friends together is not a priority. In fact, it is hoped that changes can be made each year, providing students with the opportunity to work and play with a variety of students and to form new friendships. Parental input regarding specific student needs is appropriate. This input needs to be in writing and submitted to the principal by April 30th, 2014. *Note: Parents are encouraged not to select a particular teacher, but instead to give input as to how we can best support their student’s needs. No promises are made. Assignments for each school year will be available in August. Be Part Of the fOOd and nutritiOn team help feed Our future it’s easy! Go to: www.cr.k12.ia.us Click Link: Employment, then How to Apply Complete: Food and Nutrition General Application WOW WALKS RESUME IN APRIL The WOW (Walk on Wednesdays) with Jackson's Walking School Bus will resume again this April, weather permitting. Students that were registered this Fall will automatically be registered again this Spring and will be contacted by a coordinator when the walks resume. If interesting in joining these walks, watch the Thursday electronic folders in April for more details on registering or contact a coordinator. Let us know if you have any questions or feedback. Julie McMahan 319-654-0532 the.mcmahan.family@gmail.com Lisa Anderson 319-521-4513 lmanderson73@yahoo.com Nicole Papini 303-564-9694 nicole.papini.np99@gmail.com JACKSON ELEMENTARY BOOK FAIR Jackson’s Book Fair will be Monday, April 21st through Thursday, April 24th. The Book House (formally O.G. Waffle Book Company) will have a selection of books, including moderately priced paperbacks at appropriate reading levels, available for purchase by Jackson students, parents and staff. The selection includes a variety of picture books, concept books, beginning chapter books, intermediate novels, and informational books on many subjects. All students will have the opportunity to visit the book carts on Monday or Tuesday to view the books and to record the titles and prices of the books they wish their parents to consider for purchase on their Wish List (provided by the LMC). Only those students actually purchasing the books will return later in the week to make their purchases. Purchases may be made by cash or check; please make checks payable to Jackson PTA. The school or staff is not responsible for lost money, so please provide an appropriate payment method for your student(s). Participation in the Book Fair is strictly voluntary. Also, NO substitutions will be made for replacement of your student’s selections that are “out of stock” without your prior approval, by signature, on the student’s “Wish List”. Jackson LMC will receive a percentage of revenues generated by the Book Fair for purchase of new books for the school LMC. If you have any questions, please call Mr. Reynolds, Teacher/Librarian, at 558-2242 BOOK FAIR AROUND JACKSON MUSIC NOTES: Business Items: Kindergarten and 1st grade music program is May 14th at 6:30 PM in the Taft Middle School Auditorium. All –City Music Contest is on April 6th at Jefferson High School. All participants should have submitted their registration form and fee to me. I will receive the exact times for your students that signed-up when the schedule is completed and I will send your student home with a note stating the exact time and room for their contest performance! Good luck! JAZZY JETS Show Choir is FULL. No more sign-ups will be taken. If your student signed up after the roster was full, you should have received a notice saying they are on a waiting list in case someone cannot be in Jazzy Jets when the spring arrives. If your student was one of the first to turn in their sign-up form then you should have received a note and information regarding the rest of the Show Choir season. A Reflection on Music theory: your family can try something cool with this in mind! Music has the special quality of bringing people together. Think of your last big get-together, was there music going on? Cultures all over the world use music for many of the same reasons; one function is for times of gathering. Even in ancient times, people would get together to dance, sing, meditate on music, and tell stories or news with music. Communities realize that music can affect people’s feelings and ideas in a unique way. The emotional affect music has on a group of people is so powerful, that during the Dark Ages the Catholic church banned many forms of music and even harmonious chords. But soon people used music’s emotional affects as entertainment during the Enlightenment period and the best story tellers of Renaissance times were the singing troubadours. Today we enjoy music in many different forms but its emotional appeal for groups of people is still present. This is not just theory, it is scientific! Music lights up our whole brain! When we are listening to music, all main areas of our thinking is activated: the logical parts, the creative parts, physical parts, and emotional parts. Because our brains are so active while listening to music, our synapses are making lots of connections and our bodies can physically be affected. For example, calm music may help to slow or calm your breathing down just like an upbeat song may get your body motivated to take a run or get adrenaline pumping for a competitive game. When a group of people share these affects together, the experience becomes even more powerful. FAMILY CHALLENGE: Find a song or piece of music the whole family enjoys. Use it as a time that you can connect as a family together without conversation. This could be a song to use before bed, in the mornings, in the car, or getting ready for family dinner. I think you will be surprised how quickly a positive and calm connection can be made when you use music this way! It also helps children to remember important times you all have together! Thank you for supporting music and all you do, Miss Kayla Snoozy Ext: 1485 ksnoozy@cr.k12.ia.us HOW TO HELP YOUR CHILD WITH STANDARDIZED TESTS SUMMER SAFETY As the weather warms up and summertime approaches, it is important to be reminded of some safety tips for our children. The following are a few ideas to safeguard your child this summer: Water Safety No one should ever swim alone. Always supervise children while in or near water. Don’t swim in unsafe water. Teach your child basic swimming skills Bikes, Skates, and Skateboards Be sure your child always wears a properly fitted helmet. Wear knee and elbow pads when appropriate Establish rules about where and when your child may ride or skate. Teach your child the rules of the road. Sun Exposure Insist your child wear sunscreen and don’t forget to reapply. Provide adequate water and fluids to prevent dehydration. Avoid peak sun exposure between the hours of 11AM and 2PM. Miscellaneous When in wooded or grassy areas, wear protective clothing or bug sprays to protect against tics and other insects. Remember to check scalp and clothing after playing in these areas. Always wear a seat belt or use a proper car seat/ booster seat when in a moving vehicle. Remember: children learn from example so be sure to participate with them when possible. They will enjoy it and so will you! The best thing you as a parent can do to help your child do their personal best on any test is to provide positive support. This can be achieved by expressing confidence in your child’s ability to give their personal best. Let students know tests show how much they learn, but they should not feel stressed. On test days, try to provide a calm, stress- free environment. Get up in plenty of time to avoid any anxiety in the morning. Try to eliminate as many night activities that may change a nightly routine. Teach and reinforce the following: Get plenty of rest each night. Eat a good breakfast. Have a positive attitude. Relax… don’t worry. Try hard… do your personal best Listen carefully and follow directions Think before you answer Don’t rush… work at middle speed Check over your work when finished Don’t expect to know every answer Adapted from Tyler Tames the Testing Tiger Non-Discrimination Policy It is the policy of the Cedar Rapids Community School District not to illegally discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, creed, age (employment only), marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and socioeconomic status (students/program only) in its educational programs and its employment practices. There is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination. District employees with questions or a grievance related to this policy should contact Jill Cirivello, Director of Human Resources, 319-558-2421; jcirivello@cr.k12.ia.us. Students and others should contact Ken Morris, Manager of Student Equity, 319-558-1504; kmorris@cr.k12.ia.us. The District mailing address is 2500 Edgewood Rd NW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52405-1015. GREEN TEAM March is Water Awareness Month and it came JUST in time! Since Jackson’s Green Team has made some small efforts to make our building more aware of conserving energy and recycling, Jackson’s energy use improved greatly in our last district reports! Way to go Green Team!! Thank you Jackson members for making a point to turn off lights when they are not being used and to be more conscious of keeping other electronics off or unplugged when out of use! Each small effort has compiled into a big difference for our building data! However, our building’s water usage is not even close to being at a conservative number. In fact, we are considered “in the red” and our numbers haven’t changed in that column for several months. Therefore, this March Green Team is making efforts to remind everyone of ways to be more water conservative. I am confident that a little more awareness and we will also see that data improve for our building on the district reports! We have been invited to share our efforts on a Friday broadcast and will be posting signs by all sinks and drinking fountains. We have also begun to collect our baseline data to be officially a part of the Cedar Rapids School District Comingling buildings. We will begin to have a recycling bin for things that are often tossed in the trash at lunch time but could be an “instant recycle.” For example, Lunchables come in cardboard boxes and do not have lots of wet food residue on them. Therefore, it could be thrown straight into recycling without being rinsed. We should see a large difference in our waste vs. recycle amounts in just that one small effort. The green team will be working on educating students and teachers on what things in the lunch room are an “instant recycle” item. DID YOU KNOW? A leaky faucet can waste 100 gallons a day. The average 5-minute shower takes 15-25 gallons of water and around 40 gallons are used in 10 minutes. You use about 5 gallons of water if you leave the water running while brushing your teeth. Americans are by far the largest water consumers in the world with an average of 150-200 gallons used per day/ per person. Yet there is estimated over a billion people that do not have access to clean water at all in other parts of the world. SOME WATER CONSERVATION IDEAS: Put buckets or basins under the gutters of your house to catch run-off rain water or melted snow water. Use that to water your potted plants, gardens, or help water your lawn instead of using more water from the tap or hose. Place a Jar that is full of water in the back basin of your toilet. Then each time the toilet flushes, you save that much clean water still in the jar because it won’t need to refill that space again. That can add up! Place a timer outside your shower to let you know when 5 minutes is up. Do not leave water running when it is not being directly used at that moment. Brushing teeth, rinsing dishes, watering outside… all times to be sure you turn on and OFF the running water each time you take a short break. Make sure the dish washer is COMPLETELY full before you run it. Make sure you wait until you have a FULL load of laundry before you run the washer. This will cut down on how many times you run the washer. THANK YOU FOR READING OUR WAYS TO GO GREEN! **Correction from an article in last month’s Jetliner…Glass is not accepted as a commingle item in Cedar Rapids. We apologize for any confusion this statement may have caused. LEARN IT, KNOW IT, SHOW IT Jackson students are spending some time each day working on learning strategies. We call this focused strategy work Learn It, Know It, Show It. As teachers, want to provide students with the skills and strategies to be successful at demonstrating their knowledge in the areas of reading and math across various settings, including test-taking. Navigating assessments with confidence leads to increased employment ability skills throughout students’ lives. Jackson students receive explicit instruction in reading and math problem solving strategies. In addition, students practice strategies such as eliminating answers, picking out key words, use of scratch paper, and transferring answers to bubble sheets. By helping students fine tune strategies and skills proficiencies, students will see increased achievement. READING AND MATH STRATEGIES TAUGHT AT JACKSON All students in grades 2-5 have use learning strategies to help them take charge of their learning and be more self-reliant. Specifically, students are learning strategies to help them demonstrate knowledge in the areas of literacy and math. Specific math and reading strategies are designed to help students feel more confident in their ability to take any assessments. During this time students are challenged not only to identify the answer but prove their responses either by showing work or reading through the passage justifying answers. This accountability helps students challenge themselves and provides accountability during assignments and assessments. The more preparation students have with reading and math strategies the less anxiety they feel in any assessment situation. Volunteers are out of this world! Please join the Jackson Staff for a luncheon in your honor on Wednesday, April 16th between 11-1 in the music room It doesn’t matter if you have volunteered a lot or a little, you are HUGELY welcome to join us at this stellar event. Please RSVP by signing the sheet on the volunteer table or by emailing cstusak@cr.k12.ia.us Proof of Residency VIRTUAL BACKPACK There are many community organizations that want to share information with students and staff about educationally-based programming and events. As part of the ongoing effort to use less print materials, the District is launching an online Virtual Backpack site to post approved materials. Individuals or organizations wishing to post material on the Virtual Backpack will submit items electronically and approved materials will appear online for families and staff to access. Organizations will find a link to submit flyers for consideration on the District homepage at www.cr.k12.ia.us . Families can access the Virtual Backpack from their school Web site. Join the Conversation We are pleased to invite parents to communicate and collaborate with District leaders by joining the conversation at Engage CR Schools, our new comprehensive community involvement website. To sign up, simply visit the homepage at www. cr.k12.ia.us and click on the engagecrschools logo in the lower left corner. All new students entering the Cedar Rapids Community School District, current students entering a new building or current students who move to a new residence must provide the proper documentation to establish proof of residency. The name and address on these documents must match the name and address of the parent or legal guardian (or primary parent) of the student. The legal residence of a minor student is the same as that of his/her parents/guardians. If the residence of a minor is not the same as the parent’s, the residence must have been established for the sake of the student having a home and not for the sake of attendance in the District or a building. Acceptable proof of residency documents are listed below. The parent/guardian name and the residence address must be listed on the document and residency at the address is required. • Purchase contract with possession date or closing date • Most recent property tax bill • Recent mortgage statement • Utility bill (gas or electric) for the last or current month If you rent, please provide one of the following: • A current, signed lease or rental agreement with the rental term listed • Utility bill (gas or electric) for the last or current month • A pay stub from your employer, for the last or current month, showing the resident address • A notarized letter from the landlord with the rental term listed. It must list the property owner’s name, address, and signature; and the name and signature of the parent/guardian residing at the residence. Additional information: Engage CR Schools will give contributors a chance to share new ideas, second others’ ideas, expand upon existing ideas, and offer feedback on District initiatives. Parents and community members can engage with the District on a variety of topics anytime and from anywhere. Join the conversation today! • Any student whose residency is deemed homeless will be verified by our District Homeless Coordinator. • Falsification of any information or document required for residence verification, or the use of the address of another person without actually residing there may result in revocation of enrollment at an attendance center and reassignment to resident school. • Procedure 602.4c may be viewed in full at: http:// www.cr.k12.ia.us/aboutUs/BoardOfEd/supportDocs/PolicyHandbook/PolicyHandbook.pdf April 2 Pig in a Blanket Sides: Fruit Cocktail Sweet Potato Fries Peas & Carrots April 10 Crazy Chicken Wrap April 3 Italian Dunkers w/ Meat Sauce Sides: Apples Side Salad w/ Roasted Chickpeas April 4 Chicken Fajita Salad w/ Breadstick Sides: School Planned Fruits and Vegetables Daily Milk offered includes 1%, skim, or skim chocolate April 1 Cheese Lasagna Roll w/ Red Sauce Sides: Pineapple Peas Green Beans April 9 Submarine Sandwich April 2014 Elementary School Lunch Menu All meals include milk, fruit, vegetable, grain, meat/meat alternative April 8 Fish Sticks & Hot Roll April 11 Walking Taco & Corn Muffin Sides: School Planned Fruits and Vegetables Early Dismissal April 18 School Planned Menu Sides: School Planned Fruits and Vegetables Sides: Fresh Fruit Side Salad w/ Roasted Chickpeas Sides: Peaches Mashed Potatoes & Gravy Cucumber April 17 Honey BBQ Chicken Nuggets French Bread Sides: Fruit Cocktail Side Salad w/ Roasted Chickpeas Sides: 100% Fruit Juice Fresh Celery Corn A Minimum of One Fruit or Vegetable is required for a reimbursable meal April 7 Ham & Cheese Toastie Sides: Mandarin Oranges Steamed Carrots Mixed Vegetables April 16 Asian Chicken Salad w/ Salad Crunchies Sides: Mandarin Oranges Fresh Celery Mixed Vegetables Early Dismissal April 14 Egg & Cheese Biscuit Sides: 100% Fruit Juice Tater Tots Baby Carrots April 15 Spaghetti & Meat Sauce w/ Breadstick Sides: Applesauce Peas Fresh Cauliflower April 23 Turkey Wrap Sides: Pears Green Beans Fresh Cauliflower April 25 Hawaiian Chicken Rice Sides: School Planned Fruits and Vegetables April 22 Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup Sides: Fresh Fruit Broccoli Trees Celery Logs April 24 Assorted Tacos w/ Lettuce, Cheese & Salsa Sides: Fresh Fruit Side Salad w/ Roasted Chickpeas April 21 Turkey & Noodles w/ Hot Roll Sides: Pineapple Corn Sweet Potato Fries April 30 Sloppy Joe on a Bun Sides: Mandarin Oranges Cucumber Sweet Potato Fries Friday Alternate Early Dismissal Thursday Alternate Cheese Pizza Sun Butter & Jelly + Cheese Stick Fish Wedge Wednesday Alternate Yogurt with Muffin Sun Butter & Jelly + Cheese Stick Sausage Pizza April 29 Taco Pizza Sides: Peaches Corn Refried Beans Tuesday Alternate Chicken Patty Beef Honey BBQ Rib Sun Butter & Jelly + Cheese Stick Cheese Pizza This institution is an equal opportunity provider Pepperoni Pizza* Sun Butter & Jelly + Cheese Stick April 28 Chicken Tenders Breadstick Sides: Applesauce Green Beans Mixed Vegetables Monday Alternate Hamburger/Cheeseburger Sun Butter & Jelly + Cheese Stick Cheese Pizza Menu Item (*May Contain Pork)
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